Disposable typewriter spool



Dec. 19, 1967 A. FRUMKIN 3,358,942

DISPOSABLE TYPEWRITER SPOOL Filed June 28, 1966 AT TO RNBY INVENTOR;

5' Alberi' Fru mkin United States Patent Office 3,358,942 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 3,358,942 DISPOSABLE TYPEWRITER SPOOL Albert Frumkin, 4705 Topping Road,

Rockville, Md. 20853 Filed June 28, 1966, Ser. No. 561,086 2 Claims. (Cl. 242-713) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is directed to an expendable spool which can be fabricated of relatively inexpensive material and which comprises a hub adapted to be detachably secured to the spindle of a take-up sprocket of the typewriter or the like. A laterally extending flange is connected to the hub so that in the operative position the spool flange is spaced from the sprocket flange and between which the carbon or ribbon is adapted to be wound. Means are connected to the spool flange to extend inwardly toward the sprocket flange to define a core about which the ribbon is wound. The arrangement is such that removal of the wound ribbon about the core of the detachable spool can be readily effected simply by severing the carbon or ribbon at the end of the used portion and thereafter removing the spool with the ribbon wound thereon so that the spool and ribbon wound thereon can be readily disposed.

This invention relates in general to a take-up spool for carbon ribbons as used on a typewriter and the like, and more specifically to an expendable take-up spool adapted to be fitted to the existing take-up sprocket of a typewriter or the like to facilitate the removing and disposing of the used carbon wound thereon.

The removal of the used typewriter and/ or carbon ribbon from the typewriter or printing machine and the like is usually a dirty and distasteful job for a typist for the reason it was necessary for the typist to handle the carbon ribbon thereby inevitably soiling the typists hands and/ or clothing. Also in many organizations in which secret and/ or confidential material is being handled, as for example in the Department of Defense and other agencies of the government and/ or in private concerns where security is important, it is a standing procedure in such operations that the secretary or typist remove the used ribbon from the typewriter or machine every evening and place it either in a burn bag or safe. If only a portion of the typewriter ribbon has been used, the typist or secretary is confronted with a considerable task of unwinding and removing the used portion from the unused portion for either burning or placing in a safe. Consequently, it has been frequently noted that because of the disagreeable aspect of the job, there has been noted a considerable amount of laxity or carelessness in typists and secretaries in complying with the secrecy regulation of removing such used ribbons each evening in those organizations wherein secrecy was required.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved expendable spool construction which is specifically constructed and arranged to facilitate the removal of the used carbon ribbon in a simple, pleasant, and expedient manner.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved expendable spool construction whereby the used ribbon of a typewriter or the like may be expediently removed without the necessity of having the typist or secretary handle the ribbon wound thereon for obviating the disagreeable task which heretofore caused typists and secretaries to be careless about the secrecy regulations of certain organizations.

It is another object of this invention to provide a relatively simply constructed spool which is readily adapted for use on existing take-up sprockets or typewriting machines and/or the like to facilitate the removal of used carbon ribbon.

The foregoing objects and other features and advantages of this invention are obtained by an improved expendable spool that can be readily adapted to the take-up sprocket of existing typewriters and/or the like. In accordance with this invention, the expendable spool can be fabricated of relatively inexpensive plastic or other suitable inexpensive material comprised of a hub adapted to be detachably secured or received on the spindle of the take-up sprocket of a typewriter. A laterally extending flange is connected to the hub so that in the operative position the spool flange is spaced from the sprocket flange between which the carbon or ribbon is wound. Means are connected to the spool flange to extend inwardly toward the sprocket flange to define the core of the spool about which the used ribbon is wound. In operation, the removal of the Wound ribbon about the core of the spool can be readily effected simply by severing the carbon or ribbon at the end of the used portion, and thereafter removing the spool with the ribbon wound thereon for disposal either in a burn bag and/or safe. Thus, the entire spool and used ribbon thereon is rendered readily expendable, thereby obviating the need of unwinding the ribbon from the spool or reel and returning the reel back to the take-up sprocket of the machine for repeated use.

A feature of this invention resides in the provision of a relatively simple and inexpensive spool construction adapted for use on the take-up sprocket of a typewriter and/or the like to effect the winding of the used ribbon thereon.

Another feature of this invention resides in the provision of an improved expendable spool for use with the take-up sprocket of the typewriter to define therewith a reel about which the used ribbon can be Wound.

Another feature of this invention resides in the provision of an improved expendabe spool construction which facilitates the removal of the used carbon ribbon from a typewriter and/ or the like and which can be expended or saved with the tape wound thereon so as to eliminate the distasteful task heretofore encountered in removing used carbon ribbon from the take-up rel or spool of the typewriter.

Other features and advantages become more readily apparent when considered in view of the drawings in which FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic plan view showing of the top portion of a typewriter illustrating the manner in which the expendable spool of the present invention is utilized in conjunction with the take-up sprocket.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of the improved spool construction of the instant invention as applied to the take-up sprocket of a conventional typewriting machine.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2. I

FIG. 4 is a detailed end view of a modified construction of the spool only.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a

fragmentary portion of a conventional typewriter machine 10. As shown, the typewriter 10 comprises a housing or casing 11 on which the carriage portion 12 of the machine is mounted. Disposed on one side of the housing or casing 11 there is mounted a spool or reel 13 which supplies a ribbon or carbon 14 which is threaded through the type guide 15 adjacent the carrier roll 16. The carbon ribbon 14 is then guided onto the take-up mechanism 17 of the machine in the customary manner.

In accordance with this invention, the take-up mechanism 17 for the used carbon ribbon 14 comprises a takeup sprocket 18 which is initially connected in operative relationship to the operating mechanism of the machine in a manner well-known to those skilled in the art whereby an incremental winding of the carbon ribbon 14 about the take-up mechanism 17 is effected as the machine is being operated.

In the illustrated form of the invention the take-up mechanism includes an expendable or disposable spool 19 of novel construction utilized in conjunction with the conventional take-up sprocket 18 of the machine to define therewith a detachable reel about which the carbon ribbon 14 is wound as it is being used. Generally, the take-up sprocket 18 of a typewriter comprises a disk or flange member 18A rotatably journalled on the casing 11 of the machine, and has a gear ring 18B connected to one side of the flange member 18A which is suitably connected in driving relationship to the operating mechanism of the machine. Accordingly the gear ring 18B drives the sprocket flange 18A in incremental amounts as the typewriter is being operated. Extending laterally of the sprocket flange 18B is a spindle 20 for receiving the improved spool construction 19 of the instant invention.

Referring more specifically to FIGS. 2 and 3 the improved spool construction 19 of the present invention comprises a hub 21 which is provided with a longitudinally extending bore 22. The internal diameter of the bore 22 is sized so as to frictionally receive the spindle 20 to detachably couple the spool thereto. Accordingly, the spool 19 of the present invention is detachably connected to the spindle 20 of the take-up sprocket 18 by frictional engagement. A laterally extending spool flange 23 is connected to one end of the hub 21 so that in the assembled position, the spool flange 23 is spaced from the flange 18A of the take-up sprocket 18.

In the illustrated form of the invention, the spool flange 23 is indicated as an elongated strip of material extending transversely in a plane normal to the end of the hub 21. However, it would be understood that the flange 23 of the spool may assume any desired shape. Connected to the spool flange 23 and extending inwardly therefrom are a pair of fingers 24, each being oppositely disposed to either side of the hub 22. In the illustratedform of the invention, the respective fingers 24 are illustrated as being arcuate in cross-section and define a core about which the used ribbon 14 can be wound.

As best seen in FIG. 2 the length of the arcuate fingers 24 is substantially equal to the width or spacing between the spool flange 23 and the flange 18A of the take-up sprocket 18.Accordingly it will be noted that with the spool 19 in position on the take-up sprocket 18, flange 23 of the spool 19 defines with the flange 18A of the take-up sprocket a readily detachable two-piece reel in which the portion defined by the take-up sprocket is fixed to the machine and the other portion, that is the spool 19, is rendered readily detachable and disposable.

Accordingly, in operation, the used ribbon is wound about the core portion of the spool 19 ,as the typewriter is operated. To effect removal of the used ribbon, it is only necessary for the typist to handle the spool 19 to separate it from the take-up sprocket 18 by a slight pull to disengage the frictional coupling. In so doing the used ribbon is retained on the core portion of the spool 19. If only part of the ribbon has been used it will then be necessary to sever the ribbon between the used and unused portions thereof prior to removing the spool. Then the entire spool with used ribbon wound thereon can be either discarded or disposed of in accordance with established pro cedure of a given organization. In this manner, it would be apparent that where secrecy is required the typists and/0r secretaries are not apt to be careless or lax in circumventing the security regulations by neglecting to remove the used tape at the end of the day for the reason that the removal thereof by the present invention is rendered extremely simple and pleasant as possible. Because the spool 19 of this invention eliminates any need to handle the ribbon typists and secretaries will have no reason to avoid the act of removal of the used ribbon.

In a modified form of the invention, FIG. 4, the hub 31 of the spool 32 may be provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending slots 33 whereby the hub 32 is rendered expandible between predetermined limits so that the same may be readily secured to variable size spindles in the event the dimensions of the spindles of the takeup sprockets should vary from machine to machine. Thus by providing the hub portion 31 of the spool 32 with slots for expansion, standardization of such spools can be effected so that a given spool may be readily applied to the varying size spindles of any given taken-up sprocket. In all other respects the spool 32 is structurally and functionally similar to that described with respect to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The spool construction 19 or 32 herein described is arranged so that the same can be readily formed of plastic material, and as such can be so economically produced that the same can be rendered readily expendable.

While the instant invention has been described with reference to the illustrated embodiments thereof, it will be readily understood and appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a typewriter or the like having a takeup sprocket for effecting the winding of the used carbon ribbon,

an expendable spool comprising a hub adapted to detachably received on the spindle of a take-up sprocket, said hub having a bore extending thereinto by which it is detachably secured to said spindle by frictional engagement, flange defining means connected to said hub to extend laterally outwardly therefrom and in spaced relationship to said sprocket in the operative position thereof,

and means connected to said flange to extend laterally inwardly toward said sprocket to define a core about which said ribbon is wound as used, said latter means connected to said flange comprising a finger adapted to be spaced on either side of said hub, and said fingers being arcuate in cross-section, and said hub being provided with longitudinally extending slots to render said hub expandable for use on variably sized spindles.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said flange defining means comprises a relatively narrow transversely extending strip connected to said hub.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,483,528 10/1949 Christotf 242-71.8 X 2,667,257 1/1954 Hurtado 24271.8 X

FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

N. L. MINTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR USE IN A TYPEWRITER OR THE LIKE HAVING A TAKEUP SPROCKET FOR EFFECTING THE WINDING OF THE USED CARBON RIBBON, AN EXPENDABLE SPOOL COMPRISING A HUB ADAPTED TO DETACHABLY RECEIVED ON THE SPINDLE OF A TAKE-UP SPROCKET, SAID HUB HAVING A BORE EXTENDING THEREINTO BY WHICH IT IS DETACHABLY SECURED TO SAID SPINDLE BY FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT, FLANGE DEFINING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID HUB TO EXTEND LATERALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND IN SAPCED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID SPROCKET IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FLANGE TO EXTEND LATERALLY INWARDLY TOWARD SAID SPROCKET TO DEFINE A CORE ABOUT WHICH SAID RIBBON IS WOUND AS USED, SAID LATTER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FLANGE COMPRISING A FINGER ADAPTED TO BE SPACED ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID HUB, AND SAID FINGERS BEING ARCUATE IN CROSS-SECTION, AND SAID HUB BEING PROVIDED WITH LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOTS TO RENDER SAID HUB EXPANDABLE FOR USE ON VARIABLY SIZED SPINDLES. 